Summer days!

Nothing evokes childhood memories of Summer days gone by like the sound of a distant ice cream van. The mad scramble when every kid in the street drops what they are doing and rushes indoors with a sense of acute  panic to beg their Mother for the few pennies (it was in my day anyway) needed to buy their favourite ice lolly, followed by the sense of shared relief when they all met back at the idling van, cash in hand.

It's a scene that is played out in every residential street in every town in the UK every Summer and long may it continue. I cued for 20 minutes with my daughter perched on my shoulders at a Summer fete last week to get my annual '99' and it was better than all the fancy overpriced ice cream/chocolate in the world, I don't think I need to explain why!

While waiting my turn I had the idea to make an ice cream card although we don't have any ice cream dies in any of our current collections which is fine because necessity is the mother of invention as the saying goes.

I must start by apologising to those of you living outside the UK who are unfamiliar with some of the brands which I refer to in the cards, I'm sure that you can do similar things with your own favourite lollies?

When I need to 'Get Creative' with die cutting my first port of call is to my beloved Framelits dies which are wonderfully versatile  because of, rather than despite their simplicity. The sets I used were:

• Hearts (567561)
• Circles, Scallop (657552)
• Banners, Pennant Plain (657579)
• Tags, Rounded (657568)

 FAB

I chose quality heavyweight plain cardstock and I die cut three of the rounded tags in the same size. I also cut a strip of the brown card to use as the lolly stick. Next, I trimmed the brown tag to size before embossing with a dotty folder, I used the one from the new Big Shot Starter Kit although their are dozens to choose from
I mounted the 3 tags together before attaching the stick with 3D foam pads. Next, I used my PC to print the legend 'Have a FAB Birthday' onto the front of a white A6 card blank and Finally, I attached my assembled lolly with 3D foam pads.

99

I chose quality heavyweight plain cardstock and I die cut the the hearts and pennant. I used a lattice work embossing folder to add texture to the ice cream cone and cut away part of the magenta heart using a scalloped circle die before attaching it in place it onto the white heart. I cut a strip of brown card and attached it to the assembled hearts to represent the chocolate flake, without which no '99' would be complete.Next, I attached the ice cream to it's embossed cone and used my PC to print the legend 'Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999' onto the front of a white A6 card blank and Finally, I attached my assembled ice cream with 3D foam pads.

Sweetest


I chose quality heavyweight plain cardstock in cream and red and I die cut two rounded tags of the same size. Next, I used two scalloped circle dies to 'Chomp' a piece out of the top right hand corner of each and attached them together. I cut a strip of brown card for the stick and attached it to the rear. I used my PC to print the legend 'The Sweetest Thing' onto the front of a white A6 card blank and Finally, I attached my assembled lolly with 3D foam pads.

Zoom


I chose quality heavyweight plain cardstock in yellow, orange and red and I die cut three rounded tags in three different sizes before trimming each to size. After attaching the tags together with PVA glue I cut a strip of brown card to use as the stick. Next,  I used my PC to print the legend 'Zoom, just one look and then my heart went boom' onto the front of a white A6 card blank and Finally, I attached my assembled lolly with 3D foam pads.

For those amongst you racking your brains as to who sang the 'Zoom' song it was Fat Larry's Band, I don't know which one was Larry but if I saw a picture, I'm sure I could take an educated guess!

And here they are! Hang on! can I hear Greensleves?MUUUUUUUM........